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Deliverance (episode)
Deliverance was the twelfth episode of Series A of Blake's 7 first broadcast in 1978. It is notable for being the first part of two stories to introduce Orac with the following Orac concluding the pair of stories. Synopsis From the VHS release: A spaceship crashes on the planet Cephlon and, when the crew of the Liberator answer a distress call, they find their own lives endangered. Jenna is captured by primitive savages, the ship is hi-jacked and Blake is caught in a race against time... Plot Servalan secretly monitors a spaceship crewed by two men, Ensor and Maryatt. When the ship comes close to the planet Cephlon, she detonates a bomb onboard, crippling it. The Liberator sees the ship in trouble and the crew observe the launch of two life capsules. They decide to launch a mission to see if anyone is still alive, even though the planet has high radiation levels. Avon, Vila, Jenna and Gan teleport down to the planet and begin their search. Jenna and Gan find Maryatt dead and take his identification. Avon and Vila find Ensor badly wounded and decide to take him back to the Liberator. Avon, Vila, Gan and Ensor are teleported aboard but they are unable to get a fix on Jenna, who was some yards behind Gan at the time and has been attacked by a group of Scavengers. Avon, Vila and Gan teleported back down to search for her. Ensor insists that Blake and Cally need to take him to the planet Aristo to deliver the power cells needed to save his father's life. They refuse to abandon their crew on the surface and reassure him that the Liberator is fast enough to make the journey in the time available. However, Ensor becomes increasingly desperate, grabbing Cally as a hostage and holding a gun to her head, forcing Blake to set course for Aristo. Servalan summons Travis and offers him a chance to regain his reputation by helping her out. She explains Ensor came to see her to offer to sell her something named Orac for ten million credits. In return, he wanted the power cells needed to save his father and the assistance of Maryatt, a medic. However, Servalan decided instead to destroy the ship so Ensor's father would die and they can collect Orac at their leisure. Travis is uncomfortable with her ruthlessness regarding Maryatt, the medic who once saved his life, having him listed as a deserter to cover up his disappearance and his family sent into slavery as punishment, but accepts it is his only opportunity to continue his pursuit of Blake. Avon's group discover the Liberator missing from orbit but decide to continue their search. After an altercation with the Scavengers, they are allowed into an underground bunker by a woman, Meegat, one of the survivors of the civilisation that thrived on the planet before the radiation. She believes Avon is the one her people have been waiting for and shows the trio a chemical rocket designed to carry her people's race banks to life on a new planet. Avon is confident they can launch it but needs to find Jenna first. Meegat gives them directions to the Scavengers' camp. Ensor finally succumbs to his wounds and dies. Blake reverses course back to Cephlon. Avon, Vila and Gan manage to raid the Scavengers' camp and get back to the bunker with Jenna. There, they get the power back online and launch the rocket. The Liberator returns and teleports them aboard before setting off for Aristo. Cast *Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas *Avon - Paul Darrow *Vila - Michael Keating *Jenna - Sally Knyvette *Gan - David Jackson *Cally - Jan Chappell *Zen - Peter Tuddenham *Travis - Stephen Grief *Servalan - Jacqueline Pearce * Ensor - Tony Caunter * Meegat - Suzan Farmer * Maryatt - James Lister Crew * Stunt Co-ordinator - Frank Maher * Production Assistant - Victor Mallett * Production Unit Manager - Sheelagh Rees * Film Cameraman - Ken Willicombe * Film Recordist - John Gatland * Film Editor - M.A.C. Adams * Series Videotape Editors - Sam Upton (Uncredited), Malcolm Banthorpe (Uncredited) * Visual Effects Designer - Ian Scoones, Mat Irvine * Electronic Effects - A.J. Mitchell * Graphics Designer - Bob Blagden * Studio Lighting - Brian Clemett * Studio Sound - Clive Gifford * Special Sound - Richard Yeoman-Clark * Costume Designer - Rupert Jarvis * Make Up Artist - Marianne Ford * Music By - Dudley Simpson * Series Devised By - Terry Nation Story notes * Early drafts of the episode had Blake and Avon's roles switched round, with Avon on the ship and Blake leading the party on the surface. * This is the last episode in which Gan's limiter is mentioned. * From this episode, Avon wears a silver coat while teleporting down to planets instead of the colour-coded tracksuits worn by the other characters. Ratings 9.0M Filming locations Betchworth Quarry, Reigate, Surrey. Production errors To be added. Continuity *This is the first episode in which Orac is mentioned. *Travis was relieved of his command in "Project Avalon". *The field medic who saved Travis' life was mentioned in Seek-Locate-Destroy. *Ensor refers to himself and his father enjoying thirty years of independence. However, in Orac it is said they disappeared forty years ago and Avon refers to them spending twenty years in hiding in Rescue. *This is the first episode in which Avon is shown to kill anyone. *This is the first episode where the Federation's military is referred to as Space Command. Quotes Travis: You're almost as ruthless as I am. Servalan: You underestimate me. Vila: The poor woman's insane. Avon: Not necessarily. Vila: Counting yourself, that makes two people who think you're wonderful. Avon: Meegat, I'm sorry you waited so long. Meegat: Our waiting brought you. Avon: That seems like a poor reward somehow. Home video releases * In edited form as part of compilation video Orac in 1986. * Original BBC video release (Volume 6) in 1991. * Fabulous Films video reissue (Volume 6) on 22 June 1998. * DVD release as part of the Series 1 box set on 1 March 2004. External links * References Category:Series A episodes